Stuart Ridley, Golf Escapes
There are thousands of golf resorts out there, offering a variety of experiences. To help you pick the best resort for you, here’s the Golf Escapes guide to what makes a great golf resort
We all want our holidays to be relaxing and our resorts to keep everything simple, don’t we? With that in mind, La Manga Club in Murcia, Spain is a must pick on our list. The resort brings together a great hotel with a top golf course, the chance to have a nice dip in the hotel pool in the afternoon and it’s within walking distance of local bars and restaurants.
Just 25 mins from Murcia airport, or 90 mins from Alicante airport, the resort is easily accessed from most UK airports. La Manga Club Resort is really its own town with the beautiful five-star Principe Felipe Hotel at its heart. Two courses are set out around the hotel (North and South) and a third course (West) is a five-minute shuttle drive away. If the luxury hotel isn’t your thing, you can also experience the four-star Las Lomas apartments and luxurious spa just a 10-minute shuttle from the hotel. The resort focuses on making everything as stress-free as possible with a constant shuttle service running all day to take you wherever you want to go. Whether you’re heading to the tennis courts, spa, football pitches, golf courses or heading down to La Manga’s bars and restaurants, the shuttle is just a phone call away. Both the hotel and apartments have bars and restaurants to walk out to with great food while the Irish bar is a must-visit.
Keeping things even simpler by bringing together everything you need within the grounds of one hotel, which is no easy task, is the Precise Resort El Rompido on the Costa de la Luz, Spain. The hotel here is a fantastic hub for a week with an atmosphere to keep guests entertained throughout the day and evening. This has been achieved through two fantastic golf courses (North and South), which provide a challenge to every level of golfer; a stunning five-star hotel; a great pool in the middle of the horseshoe-shaped hotel; and a little treat called semi all-inclusive – which is every golfer’s dream and includes breakfast and dinner plus drinks in the evening (5pm-midnight) in all three of the hotel’s bars. This all helps create a brilliant atmosphere with guests coming together to turn the bars into social hot spots.
The final resort on our list is included for the golf it can offer… and its stunning five-star boutique hotel. Evolutee Royal Obidos Hotel & Spa in Portugal is an hour’s drive north of Lisbon airport and you’ll find the fantastic Royal Obidos Golf Course on site. Flashy in every sense, the course features huge lakes, undulating fairways, immaculate greens and outstanding practice facilities. With three of Portugal’s best courses within a 10-minute drive, Obidos is one of the best golf destinations in Europe. Bom Sucesso (a European Tour property), Praia d’el Rey (one of the most famous courses in Portugal) and the new West Cliffs Golf Links (a future host of many big tournaments) surround Royal Obidos, and a free shuttle service runs from the hotel doors to the courses. Add in the hotel, which is a thing of beauty with its quirky, modern style and you’ve got the third of our great golf resorts.
Golf Escapes specialises in golf holidays run by golf enthusiasts and players. The team, including Stuart, tailor golf breaks for thousands of players every year. Contact the team for free advice and more information via www.golf-escapes.com
